[davehutch]

Tried wearing the cable like this? Took away all the wheight of the DAC module for me anyway.

Thanks, I'll give that a go

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Tried wearing the cable like this? Took away all the wheight of the DAC module for me anyway.

I appreciate you showing this. We are going to be demoing our Isine 10's and 20's in store soon and its nice to be able to show customers this if it bothers them!

 

[TwinACStacks]

Thanx Kmann.

TWIN

 

[timb5881]

So, here is the issue with me at the moment. I have been looking at the isine 10, Monoprice 1050 and the Stax sr-002 system. I am thinking that the isine 10 is the overall best. The Stax electrostatic iem sound intriguing and I wish I could audition a set for fit and sound. The Monoprice 1050 planar headphones also look nice, with many posative, and some negative reviews. The isine also has an issue or 2 with drivers not working.
The Audeze seem to have some advantage in that they can be worn longer with out causing one to sweat as the Monoprice might be prone to. I have a set of Koss ESP950 so I know about the heat build up of over the ear phones. The Stax seem to have fewer supporters than the other ones, but it does have that electrostatic sound that is so addictive, but may lack in bass. I am a pop, rock and blues fan so a nice bass foundation is always good, but I am not a techno rap bass nut.
Isolation is not good on any of these, and that is where my iem's come in handy. Since I have the Koss electrostatics, the Monoprice may be considered redundant as well as the Stax. The isine 10's will most likely be my choice. Any thought or input as to my logic here?

 

[agdev01]

Unlike agdev01 the iSine ear clips start to be a little uncomfortable with prolonged use. It's not anything that would stop me from using them, but I hope the ear hooks that come with the "groovy Kit" are more comfortable.

The new hooks in the Groovy Kit made a huge difference for me. Not only is the shape better for my ears, but the rubberized coating is much better as well. Still not perfect but made it so i can wear for hours on end at work and be fine.

 

[RojasTKD]

This HF Player doesn't appear to support gapless playback, which is a deal breaker for me.

In setting under playback there is a option called "crossfade". It will make it so the next song sill start playing as the previous song is finishing. Basically there is a little overlap.

Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but though I'd mention it.

The new hooks in the Groovy Kit made a huge difference for me. Not only is the shape better for my ears, but the rubberized coating is much better as well. Still not perfect but made it so i can wear for hours on end at work and be fine.

Good, I I should have the "groovy kit" in a couple of day. I look forward to giving it a go.

 

[rgnrk87]

If no one is going to say it then I will, the new "groovy kit" ear tips are ribbed for your ears pleasure.

 

[TwinACStacks]

I guess it was inevitable.....

TWIN

 

[makne]

So, here is the issue with me at the moment. I have been looking at the isine 10, Monoprice 1050 and the Stax sr-002 system. I am thinking that the isine 10 is the overall best. The Stax electrostatic iem sound intriguing and I wish I could audition a set for fit and sound. The Monoprice 1050 planar headphones also look nice, with many posative, and some negative reviews. The isine also has an issue or 2 with drivers not working.
The Audeze seem to have some advantage in that they can be worn longer with out causing one to sweat as the Monoprice might be prone to. I have a set of Koss ESP950 so I know about the heat build up of over the ear phones. The Stax seem to have fewer supporters than the other ones, but it does have that electrostatic sound that is so addictive, but may lack in bass. I am a pop, rock and blues fan so a nice bass foundation is always good, but I am not a techno rap bass nut.
Isolation is not good on any of these, and that is where my iem's come in handy. Since I have the Koss electrostatics, the Monoprice may be considered redundant as well as the Stax. The isine 10's will most likely be my choice. Any thought or input as to my logic here?

Sadly, I have only heard the isines. But most comparisons I've seen here, the iSine's have come up on top vs m1060. Even Zeos said in his review that he was torn between m1060 and iSine, and he praises the m1060 as better than the LCD-2, almost LCD-X level... As for the Stax, I've seen one comparison here. The guy ended up returning the Stax. As far as I remember, he said that the Stax were faster, but iSine's had more musical, rich sound and superior bass. Here's two comparisons I found vs. m1060.

I just spent a couple of hours with my iSine 10 and wow!. I was looking for an IEM that will provide a portable "audiophile" experience and the iSine 10 is the one. It even sounds better across the board in sound quality than all my other open/closed headphones (Monolith M1060, Argon, V-Moda M100, ATH-M50x, X2 and Shure SE215). I can't believe that such a small package will provide such sound stage, detail, transparency and visceral impact.
I don't mind the fact that it is not completely sealing and actually I consider it an advantage if you walk around wearing it. My Shure SE215 is very isolating and that does not make me feel comfortable walking around and crossing streets. you need to hear what is going on around you to avoid trouble
Sound leakage is minimal unless you are blasting your ears in a a quiet place. if you are outdoor or in a coffee shop, I would not imagine anyone will be able to hear it.
I would say that the iSine 10 is my personal end game when it comes to IEMs. I tried the iSine 20 a while ago and I can tell you that the iSine 10 is your best choice out of the two given its price and what it can deliver.
I am sure that sound quality will not be the reason to consider other IEMs at any price level.

Here's a copy of my impressions back when I got them.

"Compared to my Nighthawk, the bass is leaner on the 1060, more separated from the rest of the spectrum. The Nighthawk had more bass impact and quantity at the sacrifice of separation, bit of bleed in comparison to the 1060. Mids on the nighthawk are a little veiled compared to the 1060, but the 1060's mids sound farther away/pushed back despite being cleaner. Up to the treble, the Nighthawk is a slightly hotter than the 1060 and I feel the 1060 edges the NH out in quality while being more relaxed. Treble has more "air" to it from the 1060, less congested feeling than the NH. Soundstage is slightly bigger on the 1060, imaging is about equal between both cans.

The Nighthawk is more "fun" while being a little uncontrolled at the extremities, sucked out and slightly veiled in the middle. The NH also destroys the 1060 in build and comfort. All things considered I'd say the 1060 has the better, more natural sound but both are about equal in how much I value them.

In comparison to the iSine20 with 3.5mm: These are surprisingly close in tonality to my ears. I hate to disappoint with how short this section is but honestly, the 1060 has a bit more air in the treble and some maybe more sub bass(Listened to a few more test tracks, I can definitely feel more with the i20 while I hear more at the lowest ranges with the 1060, so the 1060 has more low bass while the isine has more sub bass) while having a leaner, less lush midrange. This will probably be what stops be from keeping the 1060, as I get nearly the same sound from my i20 already and I use that for at home listening as well as portable use. Soundstage is about equal on both of these(a testament to the awesome i20).

In comparison to the iSine20 with Cipher: Theeeerree's the air. The i20 is now more airy than the 1060, skewing a bit more treble focused than the 1060. It's the more fun can too. Hard to even consider keeping the 1060 with the sound I'm getting from the i20. The i20 in this config has better sub bass, better controlled low bass, lush but balanced mids and excellent treble air and detail.

I think the 1060 will definitely shake some things up. They're comparing pretty well to my two $600 MSRP cans(yes the iSine is a "can", iems don't really compare to it in terms of sound quality and presentation). In the end though I don't think I need them. The i20 does what they do, better, in a portable and more comfortable form. The Nighthawk comes close to the 1060 but makes some trade offs in quality to be the more enjoyable and fun casual listen.

So that's all for now. HD800 in tomorrow, but that's not really a serious comparison. More just there for the people who will inevitably ask."

I've since returned the 1060 and have no want to get it again, even with the improvements in QC. Those impressions were back in February and now I feel the i20 and HD800s are near equals as far as my enjoyment and use. The 1060 has lots of hype and they're great for $300, but I'd personally add another $50 and get an i10 at least unless you're uncomfortable with in ears.

 

[timb5881]

Sadly, I have only heard the isines. But most comparisons I've seen here, the iSine's have come up on top vs m1060. Even Zeos said in his review that he was torn between m1060 and iSine, and he praises the m1060 as better than the LCD-2, almost LCD-X level... As for the Stax, I've seen one comparison here. The guy ended up returning the Stax. As far as I remember, he said that the Stax were faster, but iSine's had more musical, rich sound and superior bass. Here's two comparisons I found vs. m1060.

Thanks, I am leaning towards the isine 10 more and more. The 2 issues with it though is comfort, and a few people saying they had failure/crunching noise in one earphone. I am wondering also if I should get the cypher cable, I have an iPhone and a iPad, but I do not use them for music very much, both have only 16Gb memory.

 

[makne]

Thanks, I am leaning towards the isine 10 more and more. The 2 issues with it though is comfort, and a few people saying they had failure/crunching noise in one earphone. I am wondering also if I should get the cypher cable, I have an iPhone and a iPad, but I do not use them for music very much, both have only 16Gb memory.

Comfort vary a lot from person to person, but with the new, bigger earhooks I think it has improved. You could also swap the eartips for comply's.
As for the cipher cable, it will probably sound better than any DAP without a decent eq. If storage is a problem, you could always stream from Spotify or Tidal.

 

[davehutch]

I've decided to exchange my 2 month old LCD-2s for the iSine 20s at the weekend
Better comfort, better portability and better sound ..sorted (for now)

 

[makne]

I've decided to exchange my 2 month old LCD-2s for the iSine 20s at the weekend
Better comfort, better portability and better sound ..sorted (for now)

Do you already own iSine's to compare against?
Regarding sound, that is an outrageous thing to say, but I agree with you although I've only had a couple of hours demo'ing with the LCD-2.

 

[acia]

Do you already own iSine's to compare against?
Regarding sound, that is an outrageous thing to say, but I agree with you although I've only had a couple of hours demo'ing with the LCD-2.

Just the details deparment, sine is better than isine 10.

I have both.

Wondering if good idea to have pure silver mix copper cable for isine. Already have silver plated one.

 

[RojasTKD]

Thanks, I am leaning towards the isine 10 more and more. The 2 issues with it though is comfort, and a few people saying they had failure/crunching noise in one earphone. I am wondering also if I should get the cypher cable, I have an iPhone and a iPad, but I do not use them for music very much, both have only 16Gb memory.

what do you use to listen to music DAP? Phone? Desktop rig?

If you don't use iDevices for music listening than wouldn't concern myself with the Cipher cable.

Originally I bought a open box iSine 10 without the Cipher cable, but prior to shipping I was notified they had found a defect so I decided to get the open box 10 with the cipher cable for a little more. Not having any apple stuff I picked up a iPad mini 4 to replace my stolen Android tablet, so I can use it with the Cipher cable. Does it sound better though the Cipher cable than the iPad headphone jack, yes. Does the added EQ make it sound a little more satisfying, yes. Is it some kinda of little magic must have cable, eh not for me.

If you going to be listening out of something other than an iDevice that has good audio capabilities and an EQ, then I wouldn't worry about the Cipher cable. I'f you main listen deice was an iDevice then the Cipher cable would be the easiest way to get good sounding audio.

I'd just just as happy listening to the iSine out of my Axon 7 than my iPad with Cipher.

I seem to be in the minority in this opinion, but I would change the way I listen just for the Cipher cable.